Baseball regular season

I am watching, but don't care enough to talk about it too much Two teams i don't care for really, plus after watching a whole season - you grow weary once your team is out

Wait until you have a couple seasons of watching baseball under your belt, including the mid-season snorefests - then see what you think

Very happy to see you're a fan though, it can be hard to get into it as an international fan so it's good to see you get the game and why it's so fun to watch. I knew you would knowing you're quite the sports fan though.

Yeah , this sums it up.  Baseball playoffs are so exciting, every pitch is so critical. During the season, eh , you lose . Still gotta another game tommorow. Then another and so on. Quite a marathon.

I hear ya about football too . The NFL or No Fun League can get tiresome too.  Diego , I  recommend watching some College Football if you get the chance. So much more creativity and the passion from the fans rivals "soccer" and probably more at some schools. And the kids are playing for the love of the game, not a paycheck. 

In fact the #1 and #2 ranked college teams Alabama and LSU are playing in a couple weeks. That will be more entertaining that any NFL game this year in my book.

It's true that I only started watching this sport last month, but it gotta be one of the best games ever tonight.

Here we go to the 11th inning

I know Diego is watching, but anyone else on Game 6? Honestly some of the best baseball I've ever seen. Crazy game!

Wow... just... WOW!

I wanted the Rangers to win, but it was a wonderful game, so exciting. I'm glad I got into baseball just in the right time

Nearly 3am here, I'm finally going to bed!

Last night  just might have the best baseball game i've seen in my life.

Wow... just... WOW!

That explains it.

Texas were one strike away TWICE.  Simply Amazing finish

Can't wait for game 7 tonight!!

I read it's been a while since we had a game 7 in the World Series, most of them ended in 4 or 5 games in the last few years

Congrats to the Cardinals, truly never say die stuff. What a World Series that was!!!

Yeah very well deserved champions. I was cheering for Texas, but oh well, who cares.

Big shame there's only baseball next year now, gonna miss those gomes!

I feel bad for Texas, they've gone the longest without winning a World Series.  50 years as a club , not one WS.

I really don't like it when a wildcard wins the WS. I don't think they should even make the playoffs. The wildcard should have some disadvantage. In Japan , the wildcard starts a series down a game. I like that idea. 

Also , the wildcard should NEVER get home field advantage. Texas won their division and had a better record. This bullshit All-Star game winner decides WS home field is obsolete.  The team with the most wins should get home field.  If Games 6 and 7 were in Texas , like they should have been. They probably would have won. Getting that last at-bat is just so incredibly important in the post-season. 

It was a great Series though.

MLB's gotta make some changes. Start with a first round Best of 7 , instead of 5.  The two best teams over 162 games , Yankees and Phillies,  play 6 months and get knocked out with 3 losses.  Ehhh. Doesn't seem right. A shorter series gives the lesser team a better chance.

Also , the wildcard should NEVER get home field advantage. Texas won their division and had a better record. This bullsh*t All-Star game winner decides WS home field is obsolete.  The team with the most wins should get home field.  If Games 6 and 7 were in Texas , like they should have been. They probably would have won. Getting that last at-bat is just so incredibly important in the post-season. 

I only heard about that for the 1st time last night, and thought it was ridiculous too. Probably a way to try and make the All-Star game more important, so players would take it more seriously? Still not fair to the teams IMO.

I only heard about that for the 1st time last night, and thought it was ridiculous too. Probably a way to try and make the All-Star game more important, so players would take it more seriously? Still not fair to the teams IMO.

Yeah, that's exactly why they did it. Now it's time to un-do it.  The AllStar game is an exhibition , should never count for anything.

The AllStar game is an exhibition , should never count for anything.

This, all day.

Download a docummentary about baseball by Ken Burns, seems to be quality.

Download a docummentary about baseball by Ken Burns, seems to be quality.

Funny you posted that, i was gonna recommend it to you.   That's the best Baseball documentary ever produced. Easy. Long as hell though.

 I love the one around the 1950's where NY is the mecca of all baseball. With the Yankees , Brooklyn Dodgers, and the NY Giants. My Dad would always tell me stories of that era. He was and still is a Dodgers fan. They won their only World Series in Brooklyn in 1955 vs. the Yankees in 7 games. The Dodgers had lost 4 WS in 8 years to  the Yanks before that.  My Pops was 9 y.o.  Then 2 years later after 1957 season both the Dodgers and Giants left for the west coast. Imagine your team just getting up and leaving town, all your boyhood heroes gone. (yeah YANK, like the Cleveland Browns)

Just like that NY went from 3 teams to 1. Then came the Mutts five years later.

From 1947-1964 there was at least 1 New York team in the World Series all but 2 years.  Every year from 1949-1958, that's a whole f***in decade. What a time to be growin up in NYC.

 

Imagine your team just getting up and leaving town, all your boyhood heroes gone. (yeah YANK, like the Cleveland Browns)

If there's one thing I don't like about American sports, it's teams moving from cities like that. The franchise model can work great in many aspects, but it's too business oriented and can be really cruel at times.

Talking about that, my team could soon move to San Jose. Not that it makes too much of a difference to me, here in Rio, but it sucks anyway. I wouldn't like that.

If there's one thing I don't like about American sports, it's teams moving from cities like that. The franchise model can work great in many aspects, but it's too business oriented and can be really cruel at times.

I don't like it either, it's silly isn't it!

Talking about that, my team could soon move to San Jose. Not that it makes too much of a difference to me, here in Rio, but it sucks anyway. I wouldn't like that.

To be honest though, if that team is going to move -- it's lucky it's only going to San Jose as far as fans goes. San Jose is just down the road, not like it's moving states or something. Could be the refresher the franchise needs, as much as i hate the moving aspect of the sports here.

Yeah I read the A's are not drawing many spectators to their matches in Oakland, and there's problems in building a new stadium there too. The first problem could be solved with a better team, I think? As for the new stadium, I read it would be much easier to build the new one in San Jose. I still don't like it, it's hard to accept, probably a culture thing but my brain simply doesn't accept that a team can move away to some other city. Would be interested to see what people in Oakland are saying about that though.

Yeah I read the A's are not drawing many spectators to their matches in Oakland, and there's problems in building a new stadium there too. The first problem could be solved with a better team, I think? As for the new stadium, I read it would be much easier to build the new one in San Jose. I still don't like it, it's hard to accept, probably a culture thing but my brain simply doesn't accept that a team can move away to some other city. Would be interested to see what people in Oakland are saying about that though.

Thats the number one reason teams move. Stadiums, when a city tells an owner they will build a 60,000 seat ballpark and fund it entirely through taxes, then thats hard to beat.  If the team is playing in a 30-40 year old stadium thats sh*t, which most all stadiums built in the 60's, 70's and 80's are sh*t. These cities promise one sport stadiums with, revenue sharing, no taxes and luxury boxes, retractable roof's and natural grass...who wouldnt want that.

These cities promise one sport stadiums with, revenue sharing, no taxes and luxury boxes, retractable roof's and natural grass. who wouldnt want that.

The fans in the city the teams were formed?

Thats the number one reason teams move. Stadiums, when a city tells an owner they will build a 60,000 seat ballpark and fund it entirely through taxes, then thats hard to beat.  If the team is playing in a 30-40 year old stadium thats sh*t, which most all stadiums built in the 60's, 70's and 80's are sh*t. These cities promise one sport stadiums with, revenue sharing, no taxes and luxury boxes, retractable roof's and natural grass. who wouldnt want that.

Yeah when I started to study the economics of sports, one of the 1st things I noticed was the part that public money plays in the building of facilities for American sports franchises. Politically it must be great for Mayors to say they're responsible for bringing a major league team to their cities, but the arguments used to defend the spending of tax payers money in sports facilities are not at all accurate.

I think football, particularly in Brazil, isn't seen as a business as much as it should. In the US, it's quite the opposite. Sports are too much of a business there, and some decisions that in my opinion shouldn't be even considered are made following that perspective.

How do people in the US react to such things?

Yeah when I started to study the economics of sports, one of the 1st things I noticed was the part that public money plays in the building of facilities for American sports franchises. Politically it must be great for Mayors to say they're responsible for bringing a major league team to their cities, but the arguments used to defend the spending of tax payers money in sports facilities are not at all accurate.

I think football, particularly in Brazil, isn't seen as a business as much as it should. In the US, it's quite the opposite. Sports are too much of a business there, and some decisions that in my opinion shouldn't be even considered are made following that perspective.

How do people in the US react to such things?

Its a Catch-22.....The taxes spent are usually a special, added tax for the Stadium only.  No taxes are spent on the Team or players. Depending on the type of stadium, it can really bring back a city.  This happened especially in Baltimore when they built Camden Yards.  Which is easily one of the best ballparks in the country...I have never been there but heard its awesome and it revitalized the whole area and now even in the off season the whole area is filled with bars, restaurants, shops and it has already paid for itself in sales tax and incentives. 

But on the other hand tax is increased and the majority of the people who are made to pay the tax wont see the payoff unless they have a business or property in the stadiums area.  Then, you can still pay for the stadium and if the stadium is sh*t then its purpose to revitalize an area is wasted. That happened in Chicago when the White Sox built a new stadium, which I heard is a shitty stadium, in a shitty area.

Sports is big business and even bigger politics. It all comes down to money and the fans have not been considered in the equation since the Dodgers left Brooklyn. The sad part is no team is safe. Any team, in any sport can and will move if the money is right. 

People ask me how I became such a hardcore Liverpool supporter and its because of the American sports business.  It was insane contracts,  strikes and teams moving. We love our sports and teams here in the US, but Its a bit sanitized and commercial. I cant explain it. Liverpool Football Club would never leave Liverpool for another city, it just wouldnt happen. Its too ingrained into the fabric of the culture and thats the same for Football in general in the UK and its all due to geography.  When you have 200+ professional clubs in an area equivalent to the State of California and then add the fact that these clubs are all over 120+ years old, with generations of supporters you will get a different passion for the team and sport and I love that.

People always joke to me about riots and Hooligans, but to be honest, Its no different then what I did growing up. Hang with your friends, drink and if any one fucks with me or my friends and comes into our neighborhood, its gonna get ugly. If we had a professional club in our neighborhood and I grew up following them, and kids from another team traveled to my stadium and acted out, we would of kicked it off too. I dont condone it but I understand it.

Just watched 'Catching Hell', about Steve Bartman and the Chicago Cubs in 2003. Fantastic. Impossible not to feel sorry for Bartman, but at the same time I also understand the fans' reaction. It's crazy. A lot of football clubs claim to be 'cursed' - in Brazil, Botafogo fans always explain their failures with the classic line "there are things that only happen to Botafogo" -, but nothing come even close to the 'defeatism' (not sure if that's the right word) of the Cubs fans (or the Red Sox fans, before the end of the Bambino curse)